JNU prof develops Braille model to help teach visually-challenged students chemistry

A Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor has developed a Braille model to teach chemistry to visually-challenged students. Dr BS Balaji said he had developed a simple lock-and-key model to teach chemistry concepts to visually-impaired students.

He added that owing to the current limitations in science education for blind students, he had designed the model to address these shortcomings. In the model, Balaji has included normal letters along with Braille so that students with normal eyesight can also learn from it while teachers are not required to be experts in Braille.

The lock-and-key model for teaching chemistry was created using 3D printing technology with biodegradable polymers. "We have included both Braille and alphanumeric letters in our model. The model cards are like puzzle cards. We have six categories to represent various chemical notations," the professor said. The models include letters (representing elements), numbers, arrows, signs (plus, minus etc.), superscript and subscript. "With these six categories, we can make various representations of chemical concepts. We can create ions both positive and negative, we can create chemical equations," Balaji said.

He said he was looking for support to implement the model on a large scale and will approach the National Council Of Educational Research And Training (NCERT), NGOs and various state and central government entities.